The Sinking of the Laconia: Survivors Stories

[sturmgesutz]

@ Yerabasan, Run to fuck you piece of polish shite. Here in Scotland there are to much of you cunts. I fuckin detest with a passion anything polish. You bastards should have been wiped out. now crawl back into your ghetto, stupid polish prick.

[Yerabasan]

I do not think some of you get it. Some of you question why a German sub was attacked while flying a Red Cross. Are you people so god damn stupid? Givin all that happened in the submarine war do you think a US pilot would think it was ligitimate? Hell I would have bombed the U boat. You people have no clue what it was like, what the sentiments where, and peoples preceptions about germans at the time, especially in a MILITARY situation. You people...are idiots.

[cuwinkel]

@Yerabasan Shut the fuck up.

[Asperger0815]

@Yerabasan

No, no to be honest - you are the idiot here. Why?

Simple - at that time the full scale of atrocities commited by the german army and the SS wasn't known to the normal soldier.

And hell - you would have broken international treaties to punish germans?

And you really think you are better than the average SS men? ROFL You are priceless.

Read what you have written - you would kill civilians, your own contrymen, and POWs for revenge - Lidice, anyone?

[Yerabasan]

I am delighted to know the U 156 was sunk with all hands lost in the west indies. The USA put this bastard and his crew in Davey Jones locker. May they all ROT in hell. As a aside this Nazi loving piece of shit sent 20 ships to the bottom. Thousands died because of this Nazi piece of shit, and his Zombie Nazi Crew. Rot in hell.

Sunk at 1315hrs on 8 March, 1943 east of Barbados, in position 12.38N, 54.39W, by depth charges from a US Catalina aircraft (VP-53/P-1). 53 dead (all hands lost).

[Yerabasan]

Frankly I do not care if anyone thinks some germans did right in the war. In my opinion they didnt. He the captain was aware the vessel was a transport, not only was it a transport it was headed North...I am of polish german extraction. My family was from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. I hate...HATE my german heritage. Most of out relatives on the polish side were killed by the germans in the war. In fact one out of every three poles died in the war...Warsaw was leveled. There is NOTHING redeeming.

[theexpliotedforlife]

@Yerabasan "Most of out relatives on the polish side were killed by the germans in the war." So you blame all Germans? 18 million Germans fought in the Werhmacht. How the fuck are they to blame for atrocities commited by groups like the S.S? You trully are a retard,

[hyperhd123]

@Yerabasan and i hate USA retards like you that doesn't know shit. AMerican killed loads of indians that makes you a murderer fucking retard i'd would like to kick your ass you piece of shit :) I love that im 25% german. germany is one of the best country in the world after sweden:)

[WW3HasToCome]

Just one word: - Americans...

[rampking1]

The USA was given the base at Ascension Island as part of a deal of giving Great Britain 50 mothballed WWI destroyers to bolster the Royal Navy anti-submarine force before America's entry into the war.

Although these passenger's were unaware, the Royal Navy did in fact receive the non-coded message from the U-boat.

Why does a white flag have merit on a battlefield, yet a white flag with a red cross on a sufaced submarine means nothing?

Should have been a full postwar investigation.

[Anders2185]

@rampking1 Little story about another red cross. My grandfather served in North Africa, in Tunis he came across an aid station with a red cross tent, the medical officer said that 10 minutes ago he had 40 wounded men inside, the tent had been shredded to pieces by a Stukas machine guns, he was now digging 40 graves.

[rampking1]

@Anders2185 I also have read factual accounts of shared hospital facilities between the Brits and Krauts in North Africa.

I am talking about decisions coming from the TOP, not faulting the B-24 crew here or pilots elseware.

We're talking about a U-boat here on the surface sending out emergency non-coded messages in ENGLISH. A submarine on the surface, sending messages which gives away position is tantamount to suicide for a ship that totally relies on stealth for survival.

[Anders2185]

@rampking1 yeah i know that, I was just giving another example of basic humanity being ignored, to quote my grandfather "I suppose a Red Cross doesn't mean very much anymore".

[rampking1]

@Anders2185 Off topic a bit, but for the life of me, I cannot figure out why they were sending the Italian prisoners all the way back to Great Britain. The added logistics to take care of so many prisoners when there were already so many shortages makes no sense to me when they could have been kept at POW camps in South Africa.

[Anders2185]

@rampking1 Quite alot of Italian POWs were used as farm labour here in the UK, might be a reason other than than I've no idea. Perhaps they should have painted P O W on the side of the ship like the Germans did on the roof of pow trains.

[rampking1]

@Anders2185 My German Father lived in the state of Indiana during the war. Told me that various people would come from all over the local area to watch the German POWS work the farm fields and listen to their singing.

[Hullie17]

@rampking1 Why are you calling the British 'Brits' and not 'Tommys', when you're calling the Germans 'Krauts'???

Believe me as a German I feel ashamed about the history of my country, but Kapitänleutnant Hartenstein made me a lil' bit proud, 'cos he showed humanity in a very cruel time and don't forget he risked his life and the life of his family at home these times.

P.S. Sorry for my terrible English, I only learned it in a German school...

[rampking1]

@Hullie17 First, your English is just fine.

I am a "Kraut" myself. Family came to the USA on the BREMEN in 1932. Opa was in the cavalry during the Weimar Republic, his younger brother was in the WaffenSS during the war, my Father in the USAF during the Korean War, brother in the US Army stationed near Nuremburg.

Kraut is from WWII so you are correct, "Tommys" would have been better together. Brit is a more recent expression. WWII movies call Germans Krauts, so I tend to make fun of it. ;)

[Hullie17]

@rampking1 Thanx a lot for your compliment about my English.:)) My granddad (Opa) was Kapitänleutnant on a German U- boat during WWII. He wasalso a POW of the British. Thanx god he made it home. I was only 2 years old when he died, so I've no memories of him, only photos and stories and he was a good guy.

[rampking1]

@Hullie17 Thanks for the info regarding your Opa serving in the Kriegsmarine. If he was serving on a U-boat, he was lucky to survive to become a POW and you are probably lucky to be around now !

[rampking1]

@Hullie17 I hope you realize that Kapitänleutnant Hartenstein was NOT the only German that showed humanity during WWII. They should do another movie about Captain Langsdorff and the Graf Spee.

[Anders2185]

@rampking1 Of course he wasn't the only one. We shouldn't let the actions of the Waffen-SS tarnish the name of the majority of regular German forces.

[rampking1]

@Anders2185 Well, that is exactly what has happened in Deutschland.

The latest example, the disbandment of the Werner Mölders fighter squadron in the Luftwaffe totally based on excuse me....bullshit, by the Left wing within the German government. Keep in mind this squadron has been part of the Luftwaffe for years.

It is correct for all German to realize the Holocaust, the Einstatzgruppen, terror bombings etc.

But to throw a blanket of evil accross all 1933-45 and dismiss it all, is wrong.

[Hullie17]

@rampking1 Of course I do know that Kapitänleutnant Hartenstein wasn't the only one who showed humanity. There were many Germans and people of other nationalities, who showed humanity in these cruel times, e.g. Oskar Schindler, Max Raabe, Sophie Scholl, Graf Carl Schenk zu Stauffenberg, to name just a few. 'Kraut' is from the meal 'Sauerkraut', 'cos the allied thought all Germans are eating Sauerkraut and brats. Beside this 'Sauerkraut' is originally from France.

[rampking1]

Thank you for posting this so quickly !

5 *****